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But even through the pain, even as the world faded around her, Mercy felt a strange sense of peace. She had done it. She had fought, she had proven herself, and she had stood with her sisters in battle. She wasn’t just a falcon-shifter anymore—she was something more.
Her eyelids grew heavy, her body sinking into the comforting warmth of Hunter’s arms. The pain was still there, but it felt distant now, like something that belonged to someone else.
The last thing she saw before the darkness claimed her was Hunter’s face, his eyes filled with fear and something else—something she couldn’t quite name. And then, she felt herself slip away, the world fading into nothingness.
Mercy drifted in and out of consciousness for days—or perhaps months or even years. Time had become inconsequential. The pain came and went in waves as her mind struggled to hold on. She didn’t know how much time had passed—minutes, hours, maybe longer. Everything felt hazy and distant, as if she were trapped in a fog that wouldn’t lift.
But one thing remained constant: Hunter’s presence.
She could feel him, always there, always close, his warmth wrapping around her like a protective shield. Even when she couldn’t see him, even when the darkness threatened to swallow her whole, she knew he was there. She wasn’t alone. He was her lifeline—the anchor that kept her tethered to the here and now—to this side of existence.
And slowly, as the pain began to fade, Mercy found herself holding on to that thought.
She wasn’t alone.
Mercy awoke with a start, her body jerking as if pulled from the depths of a nightmare. Her eyes fluttered open, adjusting to the dim light of the room around her. The familiar scent of herbs and antiseptic filled her nostrils, and she realized she was in the medical unit of the abbey. The stone walls loomed around her, cold and unwelcoming, but there was something else—a gnawing, unsettling sensation deep in her chest, something that didn’t feel right.
She blinked, trying to clear her foggy mind, but the odd feeling persisted. Her senses seemed sharper, more acute, as if she could hear every whisper of air in the room, every heartbeat. Even her vision felt heightened, the low light more than enough to see every detail around her.
She pushed herself up onto her elbows, glancing down at her body. Two arms, two legs—everything was where it should be. Yet something felt undeniably different, a strange hunger gnawing at her, deep in her gut. It wasn’t the kind of hunger she was used to, the pangs of needing food or drink. No, this was something else—primal and unfamiliar.
Her brows furrowed in confusion as she scanned the room. Adriana stood near the foot of her bed, talking quietly with Greg, the abbey’s doctor, and one of Adriana’s two mates. They were deep in conversation, their faces tight with worry.
Mercy experienced a rush of emotion, and a sickening sense of dread settled in her stomach. The feeling of wrongness wasn’t just in her head. Something had happened—something bad.
She focused on the conversation between Adriana and Greg, their hushed voices barely audible, but her newly heightened senses picked up every word.
“Her vitals are stable, but this is beyond anything I’ve ever seen,” Greg murmured, his voice tinged with unease. “The magic from the witch’s attack was too strong. It should have been fatal.”
Adriana’s expression was grim, her lips pressed into a thin line. “It was fatal, in a manner of speaking. Without Hunter’s intervention, she would be dead right now.”
Mercy felt a strange flutter in her chest, her breath catching in her throat.Dead?She listened more intently, her pulse thudding in her ears.
The doctor glanced toward Mercy’s bed, his voice lowering even further. “Turning someone… it’s not something I’ve seen happen outside of old stories. Shifters turning humans or other shifters, sure, but this? And without her consent? Are you sure it was necessary?”
Adriana nodded solemnly. “Hunter didn’t have a choice. The witch’s blow would have killed her. She was too far gone, and Hunter… he saved her the only way he knew how. You, of all people, should understand. Oliver Halsey didn’t ask you when he chose to save your life on the battlefield.”
“That was different…”
“No. It was the same.”
The doctor hesitated before speaking again. “By turning her into one of them? Into a vampire?”
Mercy’s blood turned to ice. The room spun as the doctor’s words echoed in her mind, and a tidal wave of panic surged through her.A vampire?No. That couldn’t be right. It wasn’t possible.
Her breath quickened, her chest rising and falling in shallow gasps. She felt dizzy, her vision tunneling as the truth of whatshe’d heard began to sink in. She wasn’t the same. She wasn’t herself.
She made a slight sound, a choked whimper that caught in her throat. Adriana’s head snapped up; her eyes wide as she realized Mercy was awake.
“Mercy,” Adriana whispered, stepping toward her bed, her expression torn between relief and trepidation. “You’re awake.”
Mercy shook her head, her mouth dry as she struggled to form words. “What… what did you just say?” Her voice was hoarse, but there was a raw edge of fear in it. “I… I’m not…”
Adriana’s face softened, but there was no mistaking the sadness in her eyes. “Mercy, please, let me explain.”
“No,” Mercy rasped, the ghost of what had once been her heart hammering in her chest. She could feel the blood coursing through her veins, hear her own pulse pounding in her ears with an unnatural clarity. It was all wrong. Everything felt wrong. “I’m not a vampire. I can’t be. You’re wrong… mistaken... lying.”
Adriana reached out, but Mercy recoiled, pressing herself back against the headboard. Her hands were trembling, her entire body shaking with disbelief. The gnawing hunger deep inside her now made sense, and it horrified her. She washungry—ravenous for something she didn’t even want to think about.
